Newsletter 162 - Fiat 500 126 600 Spare parts

Number 162 - English version dated 31.10.2018 - © Axel Gerstl

Follow-up report on the “Liège-Brescia-Liège” Classic Rally Revival!

Dear Customers, dear friends of the Fiat 500, Fiat 126 and Fiat 600,

This summer, the time had finally come for the revival of the historic Liège-Brescia-Liège rally which is, according to Malcolm McKay, organiser of the event, the only international rally that was ever won by a Fiat 500 (we had already reported about this in our newsletters 149 and 158). And in 2018 as well, the Fiat 500 drivers among the participants had reason to celebrate as the Spirit Category for cars with engines up to 700cc saw the victory of a Fiat 500 Abarth, closely followed by a Fiat 500 Giardiniera, driven by Silke Wedekind and Ted Prenzel who were sponsored by Axel Gerstl during the tour. Clic here to read the first part of their report on the rally. The second part of their experiences will be published in our next regular newsletter edition.

Besides, there are new articles on our 30 Years of Axel Gerstl campaign, this time with contributions by T. Morel, France and K. Scheuermann, Germany.

You want to join in the draw taking place at the end of the year and win a EUR 100.00 product voucher or one of 30 vouchers worth EUR 30,00 each? Click here to find out how you can participate.

And of course, we are also proud to present the „Fiat of the month October" along with some interesting current offers and news concerning the Fiat 500, Fiat 126 and Fiat 600.

We hope you enjoy reading this month's newsletter!

The Axel Gerstl team

> Classic Rally Revival 2018: Liège-Brescia-Liège

Liège-Brescia-Liège – A report by Silke Wedekind and Ted Prenzel

The idea

One fine day, we happened to come across a rally – we probably found the information on Facebook. Another long distance rally would be great! The last one we had taken part in was the Baltic Sea Circle in 2016 where we had covered just over 9,000 kilometres around the Baltic Sea. The Liège-Brescia-Liège rally (short: LBL) would start in Liège, cross many Alpine passes down to Ljubljana, take the drivers to Brescia and then end back in Liège.

The rally was started for the first time in 1958 to prove the power and reliability of small vehicles – even back then initiated by enthusiasts from England. Already in 2008, Malcolm McKay had the idea to organise a revival of the LBL rally for its 50th anniversary. And what would have been more appropriate than celebrating its 60th anniversary in the same way? A special feature of the rally was to limit the cylinder capacity of the participating vehicles to 500cc in the “Authentic” category and to 700cc in the “Spirit” category. For us, this meant that we precisely hit the target group with our “little one” – our Giardiniera.

The preparations

Our “little one”, built in 1975, is quite potent with her laid-back 27hp. During the course of the rally, we baptised her “Giardi.” She runs on 13” wheels equipped with disc brakes at the front. Could there be any better prerequisites for a hunt across the Alps? After a recent inspection where all fluids were changed, we took a spare V-belt (once bitten twice shy – we had bad experiences with another car in earlier days) and a spare alternator along with us.

The rally

Arrival day came, Day 1 according to the official count. We had decided to spare our little one the ride of about 320 kilometres from Frankfurt to Liège and back and, without further ado, put her on a trailer. She then covered the last kilometres to the hotel at the start location on her own wheels. And there they stood: a great many Brits, a few Austrians, Germans and French, even some Americans – with their small and micro cars. Berkeley, Isetta, Zündapp Janus, 2 CV, Prinz, Messerschmitt... Next to these very delicate creatures in the underground car park, our Giardiniera appeared like a SUV to us...

> 30 years of Axel Gerstl

30 years of Axel Gerstl - An entry by T. Morel, France

"I bought a 1967 model of the FIAT 500 back in January 2018 , that’s my first 500 ever. When I was looking for parts, I searched the internet and looked at different websites. I can say today that I have purchased all my parts from Axel Gerstl. All I can say is excellent website, brilliant service, fast responses, very fast deliveries, I’m a happy customer!

Photo: T. Morel

30 years of Axel Gerstl - An entry by K. Scheuermann, Germany

"Hello everyone, I would like to congratulate you very sincerely on your 30th company anniversary. You are a cool and very friendly team. It is always great fun to come and see you when collecting the spare parts for my Giardiniera. Keep on going like this, I wish you every success!"

Photo: K. Scheuermann

> And what are your feelings about 30 years of Axel Gerstl?

And what are your feelings about 30 years of Axel Gerstl?

Write us a few words or 2-3 sentences and send a photo showing your Fiat 500, Fiat 126 or Fiat 600 with the subject “30 Years of Axel Gerstl” to our e-mail address: service!
Some contributions will be showcased over the year in our newsletters or on our homepage!

Taking part will surely pay off! By the end of 2018, 1 product voucher worth 100.00 and 30 product vouchers, each worth 30.00, will be drawn among all participants!

> Photo Album: Fiat of the Month October

Fiat of the Month October

The Fiat of the Month October has been elected! Many thanks to Mr. Vichan Chalongvorachai from Thailand and all other participants!

If you want to present your Fiat 500, Fiat 126 or Fiat 600 to our readers, please send a photo to service. There’s no special motto, no limitation. And if you’re lucky, your Fiat will become Fiat of the month!

To all previous participants: Your photo is still active and can still become Fiat of the Month in the next months.

Click here to find the previous“Fiats of the month”.